Health, Safety and Environment - International Labour Organization

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Manual 5:PESTICIDES AND HEALTH,SAFETY & THE ENVIRONMENTSensitisationRespiratory – some pesticides can cause sensitisation leading toasthma or other allergic reactions. Once a worker is sensitised, anyfurther exposure even minimal, may result in an allergic response. Theeffect is not always immediate and can occur several hours afterexposureSkin – sensitisation can occur and further skin contact to even minutequantities of a chemical may cause itching, rashes and other discomfortPoisoningPoisoning results in a wide range of reactions, from minor effects such aseye or local skin irritations, to more severe effects such as headaches,nausea, tiredness, dizzy spells, vomiting, and breathing difficulties, whichcan lead to death. However, some acute effects produce symptoms like acold or hay fever and the cause of these is often overlooked.With the exception of fatalities, the effects of acute poisoning are generally‘reversible’, that is, curable if properly treated. Less severe acute reactionsoften only last a short time, and most victims recover completely. However,there is growing evidence that repeated exposure to even low doses ofpesticides may result in permanent damage to health of some kind.Chronic effectsChronic, longer-term health effects are not curable. The victim will sufferpermanent ill health and may even die. The onset of the illness may onlyoccur many years after the original exposure to the substance(s). Thevictim may in fact not even be the one who was originally exposed to thepesticide(s). In the case of reproductive health, the victim may be the babyborn with birth defects due to the exposure of the mother or father to thepesticide(s).Establishing the cause of a chronic effect, and linking it to the ill healthproblem many years later, is always difficult. It can be difficult to provethat the health problem the victim is suffering from, or died from, was dueto exposure to a pesticide(s) many years earlier.Chronic effects are more difficult to recognise as symptoms may take yearsto appear and are not necessarily severe at first. There is a risk that theywill be put down simply to someone ‘feeling unwell’, ‘being constantlytired because of the heat’, or ‘just getting old’.Types of chronic effects include:Reproductive healthReproductive disorders due to exposure to pesticides can affect bothwomen and men resulting in, for example, infertility, and loss of sex drive.Exposure to mutagens (substances which induce genetic mutations) andteratogens (substances which induce birth defects) pass the problem on tothe next generation, damaging the foetus, and pose particular risks towomen of child-bearing age.224 Health, Safety and EnvironmentA Series of Trade Union EducationManuals for Agricultural Workers
Manual 5:PESTICIDES AND HEALTH,SAFETY & THE ENVIRONMENTOccupational cancerThe time between exposure to a carcinogen (cancer-inducing substance)and cancer occurring can be anything from 10-40 years. This delay isknown as the ‘latency period’.Due to this ‘latency period’ and the fact that individuals affected havebeen exposed to a wide variety of other substances, including viruses,during this period, linking exposure to cancer can be difficult. Differentmethods and study populations have been used to investigate therelationship between pesticide exposure and cancer.ImmunityMany people exposed to pesticides describe their symptoms as similar tothose caused by viruses or influenza. The runny noses, muscle aches,runny eyes and tiredness suggest exposure to pesticides. If thesesymptoms develop after using pesticides it is important that a doctor,nurse or other medical practitioner is contacted and made aware of theproblem.Endocrine-disrupting pesticides (hormonal pollutants)Over recent years, scientists have also discovered that many syntheticpesticides are capable of disrupting the endocrine system in humans andanimals, resulting in a mixture of acute and chronic health effects. Theendocrine system and the hormones it generates and controls play a keyrole in growth and development, and especially sexual differentiation inhuman beings and animals. Exposure to endocrine-disruptingpesticides/chemicals can result in: birth defects immune system damage sexual change – masculisation or effeminisation reduced sperm count reduced intelligence and behavioural changesContamination by endocrine disruptors may not be visible and yet maycause population-threatening changes in the way an organism functionsand survives. The damaging health effects may also not show up until thefollowing generation, to the as yet unconceived child. Endocrine disruptingsubstances are sometimes referred to as hormonal pollutants.225 Health, Safety and EnvironmentA Series of Trade Union EducationManuals for Agricultural Workers
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Health, Safetyand EnvironmentIntern
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Copyright © 2004 International Lab
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TeamMuch more than a department of
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FOREWORDRon Oswald, General Secreta
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IntroductionINTRODUCTION About this
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Introduction The global food chain
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IntroductionWhen national regulatio
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Appendix 1:IUF BRIEFINGAppendix 1:I
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Appendix 1:IUF BRIEFINGWhat are the
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Health, Safety and Environment - International Labour Organization

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